MikeFit_NJ said:

They are two different exemptions from the same federal requirements and they buy different things.

Pushing back on MikeFit_NJ here. A research-chemical supplier selling lyophilised powder labelled research use only is not compounding and is not claiming to. It is a different legal universe with no pharmacy oversight, no patient relationship and no content guarantee, and conflating the two in these threads helps nobody.

I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.

HealthEcon_DC said:

My pharmacy stopped supplying with three weeks notice and a letter that explained nothing, so I went and read the statute.

Compounding pharmacy response time test for compounded supply: I email customer service at odd hours to test responsiveness. A pharmacy that can't answer questions promptly is a red flag.

My current pharmacy: average response time 1 hour. They answered my questions about batch-specific COAs thoroughly and professionally.

Communication quality is a proxy for operational quality. A pharmacy that communicates well is likely manufacturing well too.

mike.trainer_LA said:

A research-chemical supplier selling lyophilised powder labelled research use only is not compounding and is not claiming to.

Beyond-use dating (BUD) for compounded supply compounded products:

Lyophilized (unreconstituted): typically 9 months from compounding date
Reconstituted with BAC water: typically 28-30 days refrigerated
Reconstituted with sterile water: typically 7 days (no preservative!)

Always use BAC water for multi-dose vials. Sterile water has no preservative and supports bacterial growth after first puncture. This is a common and potentially dangerous mistake.

One thing that is still open after BiostatsBrad’s answer:

Why a shortage listing created a legal pathway at all, since a shortage is a supply fact rather than a permission?

OP back with an update, since a thread like this is useless without one.

The bulks-list asymmetry was the piece I had missed entirely. It explains why one of my two pharmacies is still arguing it can supply and the other simply stopped.